Lifting weights is often done by the use of free weight plates (often called Olympic weight plates) in conjunction with different types of exercise equipment, such as a free weight bar. Free weight plates allow the user to vary the amount of weight used for different exercises. The free weight plates typically come in weights of 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35 and 45 lbs. Standard weight plates are typically disk-shaped and include a hole (“bar hole”) through the center of the plate that is concentric with the circumference of the plate. The hole allows the weight plate to be mounted on exercise equipment. The traditional design of Olympic weight plates includes a 2-inch center opening that exists on all weight lifting plates, regardless of their mass or weight, adapted to receive a free weight bar or a support post on a weight rack. This standard opening is beneficial for the use of free weight equipment, but may present problems for the storage of these weights.
To store the various weight plates while they are not being used, a weight rack is often used. The rack generally consists of cylindrical posts that extend from the rack either substantially parallel to the ground or with an incline to bias plates onto the post. The diameter of the posts is smaller than the diameter of the bar hole in the weight plate. To store a weight plate, the user lifts the weight plate and aligns the bar hole on the weight plate with the weight rack post, and then slides the weight plate onto the post. To facilitate this, many posts are substantially smaller (i.e. about half the diameter) than the hole so that the person does not have to perfectly align the two to get the weight on the post. The weight plates are stored by simply placing the center opening of the plate over the single support post and allowing the plate to come to rest on the support post or its connected frame. The post typically has a length that allows multiple weight plates to be stored on a single post to make efficient use of the space.
Because of the configuration of standard weight racks, weight plates of various sizes may be placed on the same post. Once a user is finished with the weight plates, he or she may not take the time to put a weight plate back on the proper bar within the rack. Thus, for example, a person may put a 5-lb weight plate back on a weight rack post and then put two 45-lb weight plates on the same post. This results in not only a disorderly-looking weight rack, but it also makes it difficult for some people to use lighter weight plates. For example, in the scenario above, a woman desiring to use the 5-lb weight plate may not have the strength to remove all of the 45-lb weight plates to get at the 5-lb weight plate. Additionally, gym staff must spend a considerable amount of time placing the weight plates back on the proper weight rack post so that the gym looks neat and orderly.
In addition, weight plates can be difficult to remove from a rack, if they are drawn from the rack at a slight angle to the bar. When the weight plate is thus tilted, one edge of the plate forming bar hole rubs against the bar, making the weight plate cling to the bar. A person must therefore wiggle the weight as they withdraw it from the rack. This is inconvenient, and makes it difficult for some people to rack or unrack heavy weight plates, especially with one hand.
Thus, there is a need for a free weight organization system that ensures proper placement of the weight plates. It may be desirable for the system to make it easy and simple for a user to place a particular free weight plate back on its proper rack post within the system, in order to reduce situations where multiple different weight plates are disposed on the same post.